BY BILAL HUSSAIN
ISLAMABAD: Reforms agenda for Pakistan Post (PP) has been approved by the prime minister which is a good omen for postal offices in the country, said Islamabad Post Office Additional DG Amjad Hussain.
Since the postal services always go ignored in Pakistan, reforms for post offices now will pave the way to facilitate the poor and innocent people in the country at cheap rates. The approved reform-agenda includes Mobile Money Solution (MMS), PP Logistic Company, re-branding of Pakistan Post, initiatives through the public-private partnership and many other reforms as well.
Through MMS, sending and receiving money would be made possible, which is going successfully with private services like Easy Paisa. Similarly, through PP Logistic Company, it would be possible for the people to send things having a weight of 50 kg at cheaper rates as compared to heavy rates of private services like TCS and Leopards Couriers etc.
In re-branding of Pakistan Post, reforms include changes in signboards and changing in the other infrastructure of different post offices as well, said chief post in charge Shehzad Ahmad.
According to further detail, PP and National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) have signed an agreement for renewal of CNIC through the postal service thus providing facility to the general public.
Also, PP post office has been working on a project of automation of post offices through the Exim Bank of South Korea on a soft-loan basis. So approval of the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has been received and the project is been pursued vigorously.
The proposal for an increase in existing inland postal tariffs is under process for submission to the federal cabinet for approval. Its financial impact is an annual increase of revenue of Rs1.5 billion.
Similarly, the case for enhancement of the rate of post office commission on saving schemes work has been taken up with the ministry of finance in the senate standing committee.
While talking to Pakistan Today, Additional DG Amjad Hussain said that these reforms are in developing state and will definitely support the post offices in future. In response to another question, he said that since Pakistan is the member of Universal Postal Union (UPU), to some extent Pakistan post meets the international standard as well.
Responding to another question that private services like TCS and others serve at a larger level as compared to post offices, he said that “since PP is the serving institution, so we keep very low rates in this regard as compared to privates, and since they have their own high rates so they can serve in a better way.” He added, “But they don’t have access to rural areas of the country and are limited to urban areas only.”